Overview

The Renault Symbioz is a mid-size hybrid family SUV that may seem a bit superfluous when you first glance its way. It shares similar design language with its stablemates, and particularly the latest Renault Captur, with which it shares the same 145 hp engine. If that power output sounds familiar in a Renault context, it’s because the engine can also be found in a host of other Renault models including the Clio, the Arkana and the Austral. So where does the Symbioz fit into all this?

Well, Renault is positioning its latest car as an entryway into its hybrid SUV lineup. The Symbioz is 4.41m long, which places it above the Captur and below the Austral in terms of length. More crucially, however, Renault has set the starting price from under £30,000, which will likely appeal to family car buyers on the hunt for a spacious and comfortable five-seater wagon.

But what about rivals outside of Renault’s dealership network? The manufacturer has lined the ubiquitous Nissan Qashqai up as a direct rival, which will take some beating as the Japanese crossover is one of Britain’s most beloved cars. Then you’ve got the highly competent Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan to contend with.

It’s a tall order, but one Renault is taking in its stride, confident of the Symbioz’s generous standard equipment list, capacious boot space and alluring price tag as swaying factors. 

Right now, the Symbioz is only available with one engine on offer: that 145hp hybrid unit already mentioned, hooked up to an automatic gearbox. There are three trims on offer, starting with Techno, then Techno Esprit Alpine complete with a generous adorning of Alpine branding, before topping out with Iconic Esprit Alpine. The range-topping latter comes with a Harmon/Kardon speaker system, as well as Renault’s opacifying Solarbay sunroof.

All cars also come with a decent amount of kit, including a 10.4”, portrait-orientated infotainment display, a rear-view camera and wireless smartphone charging to name a few features. An abundance of safety systems come fitted as standard, too, plus a My Safety Switch button to turn a select few of them off in one go, depending on which systems you feel you need on. Cheers Renault. 

Over the next few pages, we’ll be sharing our thoughts on the Renault Symbioz, delving into its finer driving characteristics, how well the interior stacks up against rivals and evaluating that all-important price point. Read on for the full Symbioz review from Parkers. If you’d like to find out how we reached our verdict, be sure to head over to our how we test cars page to find out everything you need to know.